Late-game heroics seal Jugglers' win

By Marquel Slaughtermslaughter@uticaod.com

Saturday

Sep 15, 2018 at 9:13 PMSep 15, 2018 at 10:34 PM

UTICA — As Treijen Garrett walked off the field at Brother McCarthy Stadium, Notre Dame High School's senior quarterback was both excited and relieved after pulling out another last-minute victory Saturday.

Garrett’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Pat Espinosa with 42.6 seconds remaining proved to be the game-winner as the Jugglers edged Mount Markham’s Mustangs 42-35 in come-from-behind fashion in a matchup of state-ranked Class C teams that lived up to the hype.

“It makes it that much sweeter after a win like this,” said Garrett, who also threw a game-winning touchdown with 11.6 seconds left in Notre Dame’s season opener two weeks ago, a 27-20 win at Little Falls.

Espinosa, who trained with Garrett in the offseason, struggled early on Saturday before his game-winning reception. The senior caught a screen pass along the right sideline, broke a pair of tackles and had nothing but grass between him and the end zone to help Notre Dame – No. 11 in the state Class C rankings – improve to 2-0 in league play and 3-0 overall.

“Our pride and effort,” said Espinosa, who finished with two receptions for 31 yards. “We just have to give 100 percent on every play.”

“We knew he was going to break one,” said first-year Notre Dame coach Genaro Scampone, a Thomas R. Proctor High School graduate and former Utica College assistant. “We were just waiting on the moment.”

Mount Markham’s 17th-ranked Mustangs (2-1, 2-1) led 28-21 after three quarters before the Jugglers shifted gears. Garrett’s 42-yard touchdown to Zach Brush (six catches, 90 yards) was called back, but the pair tied the game at 28 later in the drive with a 12-yard connection. After the Jugglers’ defense forced a turnover on downs, they took a 35-28 lead on Garrett’s 23-yard run.

Jeromie Wheatley’s 70-yard kick return set up Alphonso Linen Holmes’ 14-yard run to tie the game at 35-35 before Notre Dame’s game-winning drive.

Mount Markham managed to move the ball 57 yards and with the help of a facemask penalty that put the ball at the Notre Dame 8-yard line, but senior quarterback Nick Mondore’s pass was intercepted by Sean Moore — his second pick of the game — to seal the game on an untimed down with zero seconds left.

“Not many high school kids can go to their limits and walk away with a win like this,” Scampone said. “They build as football players and they also build as men. … Kids that don’t play football don't get to experience a situation like this.

Garrett’s strong senior season continued. The all-state dual threat signal caller completed 11 of 15 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. He added 10 carries for 126 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Garrett also caused problems at safety, most notably on a bone-jarring hit that dislodged the ball from a Mount Markham receiver and into Moore’s hands for an interception that he returned 80 yards for a touchdown before a penalty nullified the scoring play.

This is all after Garrett accounted for more than 400 total yards and five touchdowns in a 42-21 win over Bishop Timon-St. Jude (Monsignor Martin Assocation) on Sept. 8 in Buffalo.

Notre Dame sophomore Mike Washington had eight carries for 100 yards and a 62-yard touchdown. Junior Isiah Czarnecki added 59 yards with the help of linemen like Joe Howard and Mike White. The Jugglers finished with 290 yards on the ground.

Mondore, a four-year varsity player trusted enough to makes checks at the line, completed 12 of 19 passes for 198 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for two scores and slid off would-be tacklers to avoid being sacked all game long.

“I said it when he was a freshman and I’ll say it today: he is the smartest player on the field, and he might be smarter than some of the coaches around here,” Mount Markham coach Loren Winegard said. “He knows football. … His brain is his best asset.”

The first quarter was tied at 7 after Mackenzie Case’s 11-yard reception and Washington’s 62-yard scamper. Garrett’s 13-yard run and Mondore’s two-yard quarterback sneak knotted the game at 14 in the second, but Garrett Kelly’s 7-yard rush gave the Mustangs a 21-14 halftime advantage.

In the third, Washington’s 20-yard fumble recovery and Mondore’s three-yard rush each went for touchdowns, which gave Mount Markham a 28-21 lead before the Jugglers’ fourth quarter comeback.